Jerry Garcia, The Founding Father Of Inbound Marketing?

"And Warner Bros. seems to be pretty much into re-releasing all of their catalog. So there's the Warner Bros. stuff and the stuff that we have control over, we're gradually re-releasing it. Some stuff we don't have control over."

And for Jerry Garcia, that was perfectly groovy.

Losing control not only meant concocting a sonic brew of improvisational, mind-twisting jams at live shows.

It meant giving concert-goers freedom to record the magic. To reserve entire sections of venue floor space specially for these people to have an audio vantage point. To not ban bootleggers, but encourage them to catch and release.

Giving up control led to the Dead becoming the most popular touring band ever, with legions of generation-spanning 'deadheads' and a spot in the rock hall of fame.

I think Jerry may have been on to something.

David Meerman Scott, on the third day of Inbound Marketing University, weaved Grateful Dead into his session to cleverly prove a point about what it takes to create a "world wide rave" through viral marketing.

As marketers we need to unclench our fists, and let go of the fear of losing control over what happens when something of value (intellectual property) is put out to the masses, whether it's an e-book, a white paper, podcast, online newsletter, whatever.

The tendency in marketing is to push out this great content as a teaser, with an expectation to get something of value in return. We see this all the time with pop-up screens that barricade you from the good stuff until you answer a poll or give your e-mail address.

Doing that extra step can guarantee a phone call from XYZ company, bugging you to make a purchase.

Inbound Marketing is all about relinquishing those old ways of thinking, to "unlearn what we have learned" in the words of Yoda (also quoted by Dave).

Pushing out through ads, trade shows, direct mail, cold calling, etc. does not grab attention anymore.

The new rule is to earn that attention by getting found through platforms like social media, and pulling in a community that wants to engage with your company.

On these social media platforms, don't talk about products, because nobody is going to care but you. Offer free and thought-provoking content and encourage sharing, just like our good friend Jerry; in the new media age, David calls it "word of mouse".

Chris Brogan, day 2 presenter, related to this same idea by saying that you should equip your customers with knowldge. Your community wants to succeed, and if you're lucky they will look to you to be part of that recipe.

I leave you with this final quote from Mr. Grateful Dead himself:

Stuff that's hidden and murky and ambiguous is scary because you don't know what it does.

Take a risk. Let go. See what happens. If it doesn't work, there's no harm in pulling back and trying again.